


Pumpkins and Princes

by edge_lord



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Drinking, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Halloween, Karasuno, M/M, Slow Build, just a bit
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-28
Updated: 2016-11-07
Packaged: 2018-04-28 14:21:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5093933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/edge_lord/pseuds/edge_lord
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Akaashi has never carved a pumpkin before, Kuroo is head over heels for Kenma, Kenma can't wait for Saturday's Halloween party, and Iwaizumi and Oikawa keep dancing around each other. How is Bokuto to deal with his crazy friends, all of their problems and hopes, and his own massive crush on Akaashi all at the same time?</p><p>A college/roommates AU~</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

"Uuh" Akaashi shuddered, pulling his light grey jacket closer to his body. He shook his head. It was late October and the Tokyo air had finally become frigid. Hell, the sun was barely peeking up over the horizon. The dark-haired young man knew the weather would start to turn soon, but the seasons always seemed to sneak up on him. As the icy early-morning wind blew, Akaashi seriously considered turning back to his apartment to grab another layer of clothing, but he was already running late for his 7:30 class.

"Well... It'll only be cold in the morning" he thought to himself, and continued on his way, cutting through the wet grass on campus.

As Akaashi approached the lecture building, he stifled a tired yawn with sudden confusion. Waiting by the glass doors was none other than... "A giant pillow... with legs?" the dark-haired boy mused.

"Hey! Akaashi!" The pillow waved erratically with one arm. "Mornin! Did ya sleep well?" He grinned.

Akaashi couldn't help but crack a smile at his currently oversized friend. "I did, thank you Bokuto-san." He actually hadn't gotten much sleep recently but there was no need to concern Bokuto with something so small. His dark, steel-blue eyes ghosted over his taller companion once more, "...nice jacket."

"You think so?" Bokuto prompted, trying his very best to play it cool.

The black haired boy simply did not take the bait. "Come on, let's go inside. We're late." He brushed past the bulky, grinning human pillow easily and the two of them entered the hallway.

•••

"Psst, Akaashi." Bokuto whispered loudly in the dark auditorium.

Akaashi looked up from his notes with mild apprehension, "What is it, Bokuto-san?"

"What day is it today?" He asked seriously, his expression grave.

Akaashi raised a thin eyebrow in question and looked around at the other students sitting in the dark, to see if their quiet conversation was a disruption. Most all of them had their attention trained on the professor's slides. He turned back to the anxious Bokuto, "It's Friday the 23rd. Why?" He asked with mild concern. Had they forgotten an important test date or something?

Bokuto ran a hand through his spiky grey and black striped hair, "Aw man! Halloween is in a week!" He shouted exitedly. The class turned and stared at the source of the outburst. Most people chuckled lightly. Bokuto froze, mortified. Akaashi swore he could fry an egg on his burning cheeks.

"Well Mr. Bokuto," the professor sighed. "I'd say the only thing scarier than Halloween would be a failing grade in my class. Please pay attention from now on!" And with that, the professor turned back to his lesson, leaving Bokuto as an embarrassed puddle at his desk, his mouth still hanging open from the shock. Akaashi reached out and placed a soothing hand on his back in silent support.

When the lecture finally ended and the students were filing out of the auditorium, it was very clear to Akaashi that Bokuto's funk was not yet over. His tall friend walked by dragging his feet while he was hunched over, he seemed to be in a daze. The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes, "Bokuto-san?" He tried calmly.

"...??..."

He fought a grimace. "Would you like to carve a pumpkin with me? I've actually never actually done it before."

The prompt worked. Bokuto's golden eyes snapped open wide, "Akaashi..." He lamented softly, as if the boy with stormy eyes would break by merely calling his name. His tone adopted a melodramatic flair "You poor, deprived child..." Akaashi quickly found himself the recipient of a world-class, constricting bear hug.

"Guh!"

He let Bokuto work through this new information for a moment. Interrupting him would only be more exhausting, but it was getting hard to breathe. Akaashi tapped twice, a sort of signal that naturally emerged whenever Bokuto's eccentricity became too much.

Thankfully, the message was received and Bokuto's vice-grip loosened. "Oh! Sorry!" The spiky haired boy took a step back, smiling sheepishly, scratching at his cheek.

Akaashi shook his head. _It's alright._ "Unfortunately, I won't be free to meet up until Halloween, does that work for you Bokuto-san?"

"Yeah! You know me, I'm always good to go!" He said confidently.

Bokuto still couldn't believe it. How had Akaashi never carved a pumpkin before? Not once! It's almost like... A rite of passage or something! He pushed open the door that led outside.

Akaashi shrunk back immediately. Unmistakable disgusted-surprise adorned his sharp features. The wind had picked up even more than it had earlier, and it was now twice as cold. Bokuto set his jaw and shut the door again. Akaashi gave Bokuto a look that was vaguely reminiscent of someone who was about to take their final journey in a fantasy-adventure film. He took a step towards the door.

"Wait!" Bokuto said suddenly, "I have an idea." Slowly, he began to unzip his unlawfully gargantuan parka.

Dark blue eyes widened with realization. "No." The young man said sharply, "no way."

Bokuto opened his jacket invitingly, "it's a long way from here to the cafeteria..."

Akaashi looked from Bokuto's open arms, to the leaves whipping by on the breeze outside, and back to Bokuto's determined face. Bokuto subtlety jigged his arms up and down as if to say _come on, it's ok._

The black-haired boy felt his cheeks heat up like a whistling tea kettle and stepped towards his best friend, he watched his shoes to avoid the other's yellow eyes.

When both young men were zipped snugly in the same, giant coat, only the upper half of Akaashi's head was exposed, and Bokuto had to rest his chin on top of Akaashi's wavy black hair. It was a bit difficult for them to move, so they paused for a moment before the exit. Unable to take the persistent silence, Bokuto spoke up, "You ready to go?" He felt the shorter boy nod. "Alright! Let's do this!"

Anyone not distracted by the temperature themselves, was greeted with quite a sight, but the two boys in the extremely poofy parka barreling down the sidewalk at maximum possible speed didn't seem to mind... Until they reached their destination.

Their mutual friend Kuroo Tetsurou saw them coming from his seat by the window in the warm cafeteria. His thin eyebrows shot up and he clutched his sides, positively howling with laughter (attracting some stares of his own), which continued until the Akaashi and Bokuto combo made it's way to his table where they finally separated and took a seat. They waited for Kuroo to get a grip, faces scrunched up with indignation and embarrassment. "What..." Kuroo wheezed, "was _that?_ "

Bokuto answered for the both of them, "Akaashi forgot to bring a jacket, so I was helping him out!"

Their crest-headed friend relapsed into a fit of stifled giggles and shot Bokuto a knowing look. Bokuto started fuming. Akaashi didn't really know the meaning behind it, but then again trying to 'read' the self-proclaimed "Dynamic-Duo" always proved to be a fruitless effort. He rolled his eyes anyway. "So where's Kenma-san this morning?" He asked Kuroo, to change the subject.

"Ah, Kenma? He's been in the line for a breakfast bagel for like, 20 minutes now, he should be back soon." Kuroo's face lit up as he smiled genuinely. The others nodded in solemn understanding.

"He's back," Kenma said smoothly, having heard the latter half of Kuroo's explanation. "Good morning, Keiji." he said to Akaashi as he set his breakfast down on the table and took a seat next to Kuroo.

Akaashi smiled brightly, "good morning, Kenma-san, how are you today?" The two of them became absorbed in their own pleasant conversation, totally leaving their taller friends behind.

Bokuto wrinkled his nose, "...Why is Kenma the only one on first name basis with Akaashi?" He pouted.

"You mean you're just now noticing this?" Kuroo smirked. "Well, to be fair, Kenma's on first name basis with everyone." He huffed as he inspected his fingernails.

Bokuto sighed, "I knooow. I'm just... Akaashi is..." He ruffled his own spiky hair with both hands in frustration. His forehead hit the table and stayed there.

Kuroo simply watched Bokuto's display of emotional distress play out, a frown etched its way onto his long face and he poked Bokuto's back with one finger. "Bo, dude. You have got it so. bad. You've gotta tell him how you feel."

"I'll do it if you do it, you're just as bad as me." Came Bokuto's muffled reply.

Kuroo looked as though he was about to make a retort, but the words died in his throat when Kenma turned back to ask him a question.

"Hey Kuroo, what are we doing for Halloween again?" He asked as though he didn't care what the answer was.

"Well," the crest-haired boy sniffed, pretending to be bored with the situation, "some of the Karasuno guys are throwing a party at the North dorms, I figured we'd just crash it." There was a glint in his eye, the one that wasn't hidden by his dark fringe. He knew this would please Kenma and it totally did. The small pudding-haired boy suddenly looked about as wound up as a loaded spring.

Kenma turned back to Akaashi, "...that's what we're doing. You two should also crash their party with us." He said seriously.

Akaashi took a quick glance at Kuroo who flashed a thumbs-up sign, then Bokuto, who was still pouting face down on the table for some reason, before answering, "that sounds like fun, we'll be there!"


	2. Chapter 2

Bokuto drummed his fingers rhythmically on the cheap kitchen table in his 4 person apartment. His half-lidded eyes moved across the pages of his business textbook, but none of the information sunk in. His brain felt as foggy as the weather outside. He leaned back in his chair so he could check the time on the microwave clock, noting that it was currently 12:14pm. "What a way to spend a Sunday..." He muttered, mostly to himself.

"Shut uuup." Groaned a disembodied voice from the couch across the hall. "Do you even know what time it is? I'm trying to sleep."

Bokuto was caught somewhere between pity, amusement, and offense. "Well good afternoon, sleeping beauty! Welcome back to the land of the living." He teased. "I take it Oikawa is still the grand-king of drinking games?"

Iwaizumi raised his middle finger up from behind the couch as a reply. "I'm still better at... At beer pong than him." He grumbled softly.

"Right on," the spiky haired boy acknowledged. "You should probably drink some water now though."

Just then, the two of them heard someone fumbling with the front door lock, and the door swung open with the force of a burst balloon. Bokuto looked over expectantly, ready for a distraction, but Iwaizumi, who was still laying on his back, quickly threw a muscular arm over his eyes in dread. He would probably pretend to be asleep.

"I'm baaack!" Oikawa sang loudly. The brunette sauntered over to the kitchen table. "Did you miss me Bo-chan?"

"Oikawa... I always regret every moment that we're apart," Bokuto said dryly.

"Oh, Bo-chan..." Oikawa echoed sarcastically, fluttering his eyelashes for extra emphasis. Though he didn't seem as enthusiastic about the whole act as he usually would be.

Bokuto snickered. "So, how was your run? And more importantly: how are you not even a little bit hung over?"

The brunette boy smirked, "It was nice, I added an extra lap around the park since it's so cool out now. As for my lack of morning misery, I suppose I can thank my fantastic genes!" He gestured to his own handsome face.

"Riiight." The conversation came to a halt.

The brunette rummaged around in the kitchen, foraging for a paper plate and a spoon before pouring himself a bowl of Cheerios; but the corners of Oikawa's smile slowly settled down to become a full-fledged grimace. He paused, worriedly, before addressing Bokuto again, "How is Iwa-chan doing?" His light brown eyes were fixated on a purple stain on the table. Fixated anywhere but the couch.

"Well... He's been better, obviously, but he's good," Bokuto said slowly. "The last time he woke up I made him drink some Pocari."

The brunette nodded solemnly, but his bottom lip quivered, "we shouldn't have drunk as much as we did... I'm never letting that happen again. He nearly passed out, Bo-chan, and it's all my fault."

Bokuto looked up into Oikawa's now misty eyes, feeling a bit taken aback and frustrated with himself; for how much Bokuto usually talked, he couldn't always find the right words to say. Oikawa sniffed once and rubbed at his eyes before he resumed cramming his cheeks with cereal.

They heard a creek from the living room couch. "Okay, first of all, that's bullshit," Iwaizumi began. He was sitting up, and making his way over to the kitchen table. His squinting, dark-brown eyes never leaving Oikawa's face, "You are a regular party-animal, and second: it's not your job to be responsible for me," he sat in the chair closest to Oikawa and grabbed his wrist. "This was 100% _my_ fault and my fault only. _I_ thought I could handle it, but I was wrong, and now I know better."

Tears spilled freely from Oikawa's big brown eyes, "Even so! I-"

He was cut off by Iwaizumi's index finger pressing against his lips. His brows furrowed at being 'shooshed'.

"It was my fault," Iwaizumi repeated seriously. He stared into Oikawa's eyes, but he looked as if he'd start to get all choked up too, "And I'll never let this happen again. Ever. I promise. I'll never make you worry about me again."

Oikawa nodded quickly and buried his face in Iwaizumi's shoulder. They two of them just stayed like that for a minute or two, Oikawa gripping Iwaizumi's shirt, and Iwaizumi rubbing small circles on Oikawa's back.

Iwaizumi was suddenly pulled from their personal bubble by the sound of someone else sniffing. He looked up... Bokuto.

Poor Bokuto was still sitting on the opposite side of the table, trapped by the wall, he'd never gotten a chance to escape their serious conversation. Silent tears were still streaming down his face, his jaw was still hanging open from the initial shock. He sniffed again and swallowed, still somewhat shellshocked. "Did either of you pack a lunch? Because I was not ready for this feels-trip" he said lamely.

"Bokuto..." Iwaizumi called him over, sympathetically lifting one of his arms so that the boy with golden eyes could join them. Bokuto leapt to his feet, bottom lip quivering, and moved over to his friends, crushing them in his famously inescapable, warm, bear-hug. Iwaizumi used both of his hands to ruffle his friends' hair affectionately.

Kuroo opened the bathroom door, still rubbing his wet, black hair with a towel. Another towel was wrapped securely around his waist. He had his eyes closed as he waltzed through the kitchen to the refrigerator, hum-singing through at least 1/4 of 'Brand New Key' before he found his friends in their compromising position as a huddled up mess sitting at the kitchen table. A huddled mess currently watching a practically naked Kuroo drink straight from the milk carton. Startled, he nearly dropped his drink. "...Um?"

Oikawa recovered first, "Oh you're wondering what we're doing? Well as you can see, this is a friendship prayer circle. If we pray hard enough, the big man upstairs might just cure you of that incredible and vexing cowlick of yours, but after seeing you now, I'm thinking it must be some form of well-deserved divine punishment."

"You 2% traitor!" Bokuto chimed in seriously. 

Kuroo broke his silence with a nasty, crooked grin. "Well. You know me... I don't deny myself some of the finer things in life... Unlike some people..." He glanced purposefully at Iwaizumi. The shower's open... Oikawa, Iwaizumi..." He turned on his heels and disappeared, sprinting down the hall, carton of milk in tow. The door to his room clicked shut behind him.

"Kurooo!!" Iwaizumi fumed. "You bedhead bastard!" He pushed the other two off of him and dashed down the hall after Kuroo.

Oikawa picked his jaw up off of the floor and shook his head like a wet dog. "I'm gonna go take that shower," He mumbled at Bokuto. He stood, and left the kitchen wordlessly.

Bokuto shrugged and began to finish off Oikawa's cereal while he waited for Kuroo to get dressed. He'd promised to go with him to the store.

A few minutes later, Kuroo reappeared in the kitchen wearing fashionable, yet weather appropriate clothing. He swung his keys around on his index finger mindlessly while Bokuto put his bowl in the sink, and joined him at the front door.

The duo made their way out of the apartment building when Bokuto finally asked, "Wait, where are we going again?"

"Well, Bo! We may be crashing the party next Saturday, but we're not rude. _We_ are gonna make enough dessert for like, 100 people!"

Bokuto squinted at Kuroo "You can't cook though..."

The black-haired boy didn't even try to deny it, "I can bake, there's a difference!"

Bokuto's features crinkled with doubt.

"What are you going to... Bake?" He asked cautiously.

Kuroo's lips curved upwards into a devilish smirk, " _we_ are gonna make chocolate covered, Oreo truffles!" He announced with pride. "Just you wait, 100 won't be anywhere near enough!"

Bokuto came to a dead halt and looked Kuroo right in the eye. "You mean like the ones your mom made that one time?"

" _Exactly,_ like the ones my mom made that one time."

"Yesss!" He leapt for joy and pumped his fists in the air, his eyes flashed with excitement. He practically skipped two paces ahead of Kuroo for the rest of the trip to the grocery store, and all the the way back to the apartment.

When they returned to the building, Kuroo stopped Bokuto for a pep-talk in the hall. "Now here comes the hard part," he licked his bottom lip. "If we want any truffles at all, we need to hide everything, and I do mean everything, from Oikawa. D'you remember when Iwaizumi made brownies for the last floor meeting?"

"...What brownies?"

"Exactly."

"No, wait... What brownies!? You mean there was supposed to be brownies!?" The golden-eyed man wailed. He took a deep breath and nodded in haunted agreement, "That man is a chocolate fiend. What are we going to do?" He asked. Worry crept into his voice.

"Hang on now, it'll be okay! I've enlisted Iwaizumi's help for distracting him when we actually have to make the truffles, but for storing them, I'm borrowing Lev's mini-fridge thing. That's in my room right now."

"Ohhh!" Bokuto grinned mischievously. "Impressive as always, Kuroo! You really plan ahead!"

"Why, thank you good sir!" Kuroo curtsied regally, lifting an imaginary skirt as he opened the door for his best friend.

"'Tis always a pleasure watching you at work, Madame!" He replied pompously, twirling an imaginary mustache. Kuroo broke character, snickering loudly. He shut the door behind them.

They brought the groceries to Kuroo's room and settled into the living room couch as if they'd never been anywhere else in their lives. Bokuto used the remote to turn on the television and quickly decided on an action movie. His crest-headed friend grunted in approval at his choice.

About 1/3 of the way into the movie, when Bruce Willis began taking out bad guys single-handedly, Bokuto's mind began to wander to the near future, to Halloween, and all of the fun things that everyone would be doing together. He wondered if Akaashi was getting excited too, he could be hard to read, after all. Bokuto decided that he was "probably looking forward to it." He was smiling a lot on Friday; just remembering Akaashi's smile made his heart gallop in his chest. Bokuto had (somewhat guiltily) thanked his lucky stars when Akaashi forgot his jacket that morning. Any excuse to be close to Akaashi was a welcome one, and Bokuto missed him already. He took a deep breath, and sighed, scratching at the back of his spiky, grey/black hair. "God, I am so whipped," He smiled under his breath.

"You're damn right, he's ripped," Iwaizumi nodded in accordance, sitting to Bokuto's right. He took a bite out of his half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich and spoke with his mouth full, "I give him major props."

Startled, Bokuto looked over at Iwaizumi. Just when had he joined them on the couch? He looked up to the TV screen displaying Bruce Willis's chiseled chest. "Absolutely..." He concluded.

"Amen," Kuroo added from the far end of the couch.

Bokuto forced back a laugh and adjusted himself in his seat. "Maybe I'll just send Akaashi a text..." He thought to himself happily.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuto and Akaashi go on an unofficial, Official Date (TM)

"You've been spacing out all week Koutaro." Iwaizumi prodded Bokuto with his foot. "You know time won't move faster no matter how hard you stare at that clock right?" The second hand of the round, kitchen clock ticked evenly in the background as if to prove his point. 

Bokuto pursed his lips in a pout, his yellow eyes still dutifully trained on the clock above the table. "You never know, it might go faster," he mumbled as he rolled off of the living room couch and onto the floor, face down.

Iwaizumi shrugged passively and turned his attention to his mug of red tea, now steeped to his liking.

"When are you picking him up?" He asked, blowing on his hot drink.

Bokuto buried his face in his arms. "In forty six minutes and 22 seconds, I'm leaving in 20 minutes so I get there on time but not too early."

"Hmm. Is there anything else you can do to get ready?"

There was a pause as the boy with striped hair thought hard. "No?" he said slowly, " At least, I don't think so."

Iwaizumi arched an eyebrow, "Did you remember to pick out a costume for the party later tonight?"

"Of course! But I'm just gonna wear what I wore last year."

"Nooo Bo-Chan. You can't!" Oikawa interjected, sticking his gorgeous head out from the hall bathroom doorway in protest. "No way, you can't wear _that._ Not this tim-!! Ouch! That hurt, Tetsu-Chan!"

"Do you want me to wax your legs or not, Oikawa? Hold still!" Came Kuroo's impatient reply.

Iwaizumi went ridged, his knuckles whitened as he gripped the handle of his mug.

"Tell you what," the duo in the living room could hear the corners of Kuroo's mouth curve upwards into a sly grin, "You go on your date with Akaashi, and me 'n Tooru here'll pick out a costume for you!" He jerked a strip of wax off of one of Oikawa's legs, a surprised yelp was heard from the bathroom, followed by unintelligible grumbling.

Bokuto was silent for a moment, carefully weighing his options. Eventually his features crumpled with distaste. He sat up from the floor and trudged over to the hall restroom. "That... Sounds like a terrible idea." He grumbled, crossing his arms as he leaned up against the door frame. "How do I know that you guys won't pick out something totally lame?"

"Because-" There was another rip. "GYAH-Hah... Because, there's literally nothing that we could possibly find that'd be worse than what you already have!" 

"So rude!"

"But alas it's true," Kuroo finished, his signature grin softening into sincerity. "Listen, just trust me on this Bo, you're gonna want to look really good tonight. If you don't like what we pick out, then you can wear your old costume. Deal?"

Bokuto felt a nervous and light sensation in his chest, his piercing yellow eyes searched the two earnest faces in front of him for more clues. They looked innocent enough. "Alright Kuroo, Oikawa... I'll leave it up to you guys!" Bokuto grinned. "My fate is in your hands now," He added dramatically, wiggling his fingers as he slowly backed out of the room.

"Don't worry, we probably won't drop it, Bo-Chan!" Oikawa called after him cheerfully. There was another ripping sound. "Ouch!"

"Good luck, and don't fuck it up!" Kuroo called out after him.

＊＊＊

Bokuto's apartment was a few blocks from the campus dorms but he actually enjoyed the quick walk that the distance afforded him. The busyness of his surroundings actually matched up with his active mind, and it usually helped him focus or relax. Half-way to his destination, he felt as if he was walking on air, all of his nerves from earlier in the day vanished with every step he took. The air was crisp, the sun felt warm on his skin, and his smile only grew wider. 

The green, woolen sweater was halfway over Akaashi's head when he heard insistent pounding on his front door. He tugged the sweater down over his torso and adjusted his appearance. It would be best if he could receive his guest before the inevitable next round of noise.

The front door of Akaashi's apartment swung open easily. "Good afternoon, Bokuto-San," Akaashi greeted him evenly.

"Hey Akaashi!" Bokuto grinned, clearly out of breath. He slicked his two-toned hair back once and resumed resting, he hunched over with his hands on his knees as he breathed.

"Did you...?" Akaashi started, waiting for him to catch his breath.

"Run all the way here? Nah." Bokuto grinned, "Only half way!"

The dark-haired boy hummed warmly, "come on in, I'll get you some water."

Bokuto followed him closely, not unlike an excited puppy, and peered over his shoulder when Akaashi poured him a glass.

"So," Akaashi began, watching as Bokuto drained his cup, "where does one get a pumpkin in the city of Tokyo?"

Bokuto set his cup down on the kitchen counter and rubbed his chin in thought, "The supermarket! I know I've seen them there before! But that's not where we're going, that's a secret!"

"Oh, that makes sense... Although I am even more stumped now than I was before." He admitted. "But, if you're ready to go, I'll go grab my wallet and we can be on our way."

"Yeah!" The taller boy exclaimed, "I'm good to go! But you don't need to bring your wallet, I'll spot you!"

Akaashi paused for a moment, "Are you sure Bokuto-San? I would feel bad if-"

"Shhhh Akaashi, of course I'm sure! Today is my treat!" Bokuto winked and held the front door open.

Akaashi hummed, one of his demure smiles stretching across his lips, "well that's all very good and generous of you, but you forget: I'll still need my train pass, you big dork."

"...Ah."

"Just wait one second, I'll be right back," Akaashi said, already making his way down the hall to retrieve his things.

Bokuto exhaled slowly, running his thick fingers through his dual-toned hair as he watched Akaashi disappear down the hallway. He leaned against the doorframe and smiled, they could stay here forever and Bokuto wouldn't mind. Akaashi's place was small and cozy, but never boring. Bokuto loved that Akaashi collected small trinkets and totems, and it was like magic; his apartment always smelled nice, like incense or candles. The scent of Akaashi's preferred candles would always cling to his clothes, his skin, and his hair long after he left the apartment.

Akaashi returned quickly with his wallet and keys in-hand, giving them a little jingle as he passed by Bokuto and out through the doorway.

Bokuto smiled wordlessly, stuffing his hands into his coat pockets, and followed his stylish companion out into the hall. "So, do you wanna grab some coffee first? Or how about lunch?" Bokuto asked. "I mean, I ate lunch like an hour ago but I'm always down for some grub." 

"Hmm," Akaashi brought a closed fist to rest under his chin while he pondered their options. "Why don't we do that afterwards? It'd probably be hard to carve pumpkins or eat with our hands full," he mused.

Bokuto gulped, just how cute could he be? "Okay! Playing it by ear sounds good to me, let's go get that pumpkin!"

＊＊＊

From the the streets of central Tokyo to the confines of the train car, there was no escaping the holiday-weekend crowds; but Akaashi didn't mind in the least. It was a welcome change of pace from being cooped up in his room on the quiet side of campus.

As he listened to Bokuto chatter on about various things, Akaashi began to take in his surroundings. Bokuto was his usual energetic self, he noted with a small contented sigh; That boy couldn't even be bothered to sit still in his seat on the train. Soon, they arrived at their stop, and the pair pushed their way out of the crowded train car, and into the busy station platform.

"...What the hell, I've never seen it like this." Bokuto spoke aloud. "Are you doing ok Akaashi?... Akaashi?"

The flow of the crowd was too strong. They'd been separated. Panic began to well up in Bokuto's chest; How could he have lost Akaashi on their first... Admittedly unofficial date?? The station was still underground, so calling him on his mobile phone wouldn't work. Bokuto rocked back and forth on his toes as he craned his neck up to search for Akaashi in the crowd. He inhaled deeply and cupped his hands up by his mouth, ready to find Akaashi the old fashioned way. But before Bokuto could shout, he felt a light tug at his side.

"Here you are," a disheveled Akaashi sighed. "I thought I'd lost you."

"Akaashi!" Bokuto perked up immediately, "thank goodness you're still here, what happened to you?" He resisted the urge to touch his soft black hair when he looked into Akaashi's dark eyes, "You know what? Let's just get out of here first. Grab my hand!"

Akaashi startled at the idea, but quickly considered their current situation. He shyly reached for Bokuto's hand.

The grin on Bokuto's face couldn't be any wider when he laced their fingers together, and now Akaashi was literally being pulled along by Bokuto through the crowd.

Bokuto was unusually silent as they weaved their way through the numerous people but his grip on Akaashi's hand remained strong. When the crowd began to thin, he spoke up again. "Hey Akaashi, are you cold?"

"... Not particularly, Bokuto-San, why do you ask?" He replied.

"Ah, well... your hands are kind of like icicles right now. I thought you might be cold!"

Akaashi couldn't look him in the eyes, Bokuto was still holding his hand. "Oh, that? That's normal for me, my hands and feet are always physically cold... But I don't feel cold."

Bokuto considered that for a moment, it was easy to see him mulling over this new information in his golden eyes. He chuckled lightly, "Well that doesn't make any sense to me, I'm always burning like a furnace!"

Akaashi's brow quirked in amusement, "Like a furnace, huh..?" Bokuto did always seem to be giving off this immense energy. "That must be nice," He thought to himself.

"Oh!" Bokuto exclaimed abruptly, he stopped walking and Akaashi nearly bumped into him. "We're almost there!"

Sure enough, the greenery of Yoyogi Park appeared to be only a few blocks ahead. Every step closer to the park revealed new reasons to be excited. They heard the festive carnival music and could smell the sweet scent of caramel popcorn before they could see anything more. There were crowds of people making their way to the festivities all around them now, mostly young families, but there was no shortage of groups of high school children or couples on dates either.

Akaashi gripped Bokuto's hand a little tighter, his chest swelled with an elated breath. Big, orange pumpkins with friendly, smiling faces lined the park entrances. Bokuto squeezed back, beaming at the enchanted look on Akaashi's face... His eyes were as big as saucers and Bokuto ruefully wished he'd brought a camera, but his mobile phone would do just fine. He pulled it out of his pocket with his free hand and snuck a picture.

Akaashi heard the camera shutter click and turned around immediately, his cheeks dusted pink at being caught with such silly enthusiasm. "Bokuto-San, did you just..?"

"I did. Your first time at a Halloween festival is now documented forever... We should take some more photos! We need more evidence."

Akaashi opened his mouth like he wanted to complain, but thought better of it. He huffed in defeat and bumped gently into Bokuto's side, "come on, let's go get our tickets."

Luckily the line wasn't that long, and after some heavy insistence on Bokuto's part: they were able to buy the special, slightly more expensive, green wrist bands that would allow them to go to any event they wished.

*** 

"So, what do we do first?" Akaashi asked.

"Hmm... The rides! The lines will only get longer from now on," Bokuto explained. 

Akaashi looked at the small roller coasters with scrutiny, "are they safe?"

Bokuto laughed, "of course they are! Don't tell me you've never been on a roller coaster before either!"

"Of course I have, Bokuto-San," Akaashi pouted, "just not ones like... This." He gestured to the one on their left. The sign above the entrance read: The Ripper, and for a good reason. The ride was shaped like an oblong Ferris wheel, it's metal cars rocked violently as the ride turned over and over, like a chainsaw.

Bokuto gulped. "Akaashi, you want to go on _that one?_ " 

The pair stood and watched the ride come to a stop. People filed out of the cars one by one, many people were severely dizzy, one poor man looked like he might be sick once he set foot on the solid ground. "...I don't think so," Akaashi said.

Bokuto breathed a sigh of relief, "How about that one over there?" It was a large sized coaster with several ups, downs, and turns.

"It looks good to me!" He agreed.

"Alright!" Bokuto whooped, "let's go!" He linked their arms together and they took off running towards it.

As luck would have it, Bokuto and Akaashi were seated in the front car of the roller coaster. Bokuto was so excited he was practically vibrating in his seat, while Akaashi remained as cool as a cucumber... until a park employee pulled the lap bar down in place with a final click. With a short gasp, his eyes darted from the lap bar, to the coaster tracks in front of them, and then to his Senpai's beaming face. His right hand immediately shot out to grab Bokuto's while his left gripped the safety bar. The park employee began rambling off the safety precautions over the loudspeaker.

"Bokuto-San I just remembered-"

"W-whoa, Akaashi are you really alright?" He asked sheepishly, We don't have to do this if you don't want-"

" -thank you, and enjoy the ride." The voice on the intercom finished.

"...Oh man."

The rollercoaster took off and the boys screamed. The coaster undulated almost immediately, and when he could, Bokuto peered over at Akaashi to see how he was doing. What he saw nearly put him out of commission.

Bokuto wanted to laugh as much as he felt kind of bad for his kohai. He'd never seen someone look so scared, but so excited at the same time, and especially not Akaashi. Bokuto squeezed Akaashi's hand lightly and let out a whoop as they descended the last arch. The ride evened out and slowed to a complete stop. Jumbled instructions came from the overhead speakers once more, and the seat bars all released from their locked positions. "Oh my god, hahaha! How are you feeling?" He asked as he helped Akaashi out from the car.

He squinted at his shoes as if to concentrate, "dizzy... but in a good way," he looked up and gave Bokuto that familiar, fond glance. "Let's do that again," he said seriously. Bokuto noticed that his cheeks were flushed.

"Okay!" He agreed readily. They rode it 2 more times in a row, but then decided to move on to something else.

Upon Akaashi's insistence, they rode a few more small roller coasters before calling it quits.

"What's that over there? It smells great..." Akaashi asked, pointing in the direction of several white tents and big trucks.

Bokuto rubbed his chin, "Oh those? Probably the food court, are you hungry?"

"Yes, actually." His eyes didn't leave the tents. "Do you mind Bokuto-San? I'd really like to try this..."

"Not at all! Have you ever had funnel cake before?" Bokuto wiggled his eyebrows.

"No, we don't really have sweets in my house at home, so I never really got to try things like this either."

begins the day you realize you don't need a reason to buy the food you want!"

Akaashi chuckled, "All right, all right... let's just get in line already."

Bokuto cracked a smile and had to stop himself from reaching out to mess with Akaashi's soft, black hair.

"Which flavors are the best?" Akaashi asked earnestly.

"Hmm," Bokuto rubbed his chin in thought, "chocolate, strawberry, and plain powdered sugar are my favorites. I can't do cinnamon anymore. Not since Hanamaki and Matsukawa dared me to do... the challenge," he shuddered.

Akaashi squinted with weak sympathy. It would be better to not even ask. "I guess we'll have to get all three then. Can you order them all on one plate?" 

"You're actually a real glutton, you know that right?" He laughed, gently poking Akaashi in the side. "It doesn't match your image at all, so cute~" he teased.

Bokuto earned himself a light smack on the hand.

"Hey, it's our turn next." Akaashi glossed over the bait.

"Alright, alright!" Bokuto retreated, rubbing the top of his hand soothingly, "I got you, Keiji."

Both pairs of eyes flew wide open.

"Uh, I... um... " He gaped, flushing beat red all the way to the tips of his ears, "Sorry."

"...It's okay, K- Koutarou-San. You can call me that, if you want to." Keiji turned away, his cheeks light pink, "We've known each other for a while now, after all."

"O-oh," Bokuto nodded. The people in the front of the line finally took their food and left, Bokuto stepped forward and placed their order, he added sides of vanilla ice cream and cool-whip. When he was finished, he turned toward his gorgeous kohai, but hesitated to look him in the eyes properly. "Hey listen, Imma find a bathroom real quick, wait here for the food, ok? And maybe find a place to sit!"

"Ah, okay?"

"Ok, I'll be back soon!" Bokuto promised. He hurried off to somewhere close by, but out of sight.

When he was alone, Bokuto let out an exasperated whine; he whipped out his cell phone, Kuroo Tetsurou already on speed-dial. He tapped his foot as he waited for Kuroo to pick up.

The call finally connected. "Bo?" Kuroo's confused voice came through the speaker, "Hey, what's going on dude? Aren't you on your date with Akaashi right now?"

"Kuroooooo," he groaned "I left him over by the food court, I had to talk to you."

"Why? What happened?"

"He was just so cute, I called him by his first name..."

"... And?"

"... And then he called me by _my_ first name!"

"So... he's okay with this?" Kuroo tried, "Isn't this an incredibly good thing? You're on first-name basis!"

"Yes!! But I don't know if I can survive it, I swear I just about expired when he said it."

Kuroo groaned through the phone, "You're like... halfway there Bo!" 

"I know, but..."

"Get. Your. Shit. Together. Stop talking to me, and go romance the _socks_ off of that kid..! And maybe the underwear too!"

"Kurooo!" Bokuto hissed.

"Sorry!" He said, holding back laughter. "Go get 'em, tiger!"

He ended the call.

Bokuto made his way back to the food court and found Akaashi sitting at one of the picnic tables with a lot of funnel cakes. Akaashi waved him over, his mouth full of ice cream.

Bokuto couldn't help but chuckle, "Keiji! How is it?"

"Mmmm!" Akaashi answered, making a face, he then swallowed. "So good! To be honest, this is round 2... I had to buy more."

"Holy crap!" Bokuto doubled over, laughing. He rested his chin on his left hand. "I thought today was supposed to be my treat."

"Better reduce that to 90%, but here..." Akaashi stabbed a piece of cake with a plastic fork and held it up in front of Bokuto's lips, "... have some."

"Oh..! Ahhh..." he opened his mouth.

Akaashi quickly put the piece in his own mouth instead, looking oddly self-satisfied.

"What!? So mean~ Keiji!" He pouted.

"Alright, here..." he yielded gently, raising another fork-full in the air.

"Aw yeah!!" He took the bite.

The dark-haired boy watched his senpai eat happily, for a few moments, until Bokuto caught his eye.

"Hey Keiji, what are you thinking about?"

He looked surprised at being caught.

"It's nothing, Koutarou-San... you just have chocolate sauce on your cheek," He said easily, though Bokuto thought it might not be the whole thing.

Akaashi reached over and brushed the corner of Bokuto's mouth with a finger, "There... got it." He licked his chocolate covered finger clean, without a thought.

"Well, if you're finished eating, would you like to help me pick out a pumpkin now?" Akaashi suggested, jamming a thumb over towards the pumpkin patch.

"Yeah... Let's go do that now." Bokuto agreed.

As soon as their plates were collected and thrown in the trash, they made their way over to the large selection of jack-o-lantern pumpkins. There must have been hundreds of them scattered in this section of the park. Akaashi grinned despite himself.

Bokuto whistled, "Look at all these festive, orange squashes!" He wiggled his eyebrows.

"Koutarou-San, I may be mostly unfamiliar with this holiday, but something about that phrase feels terribly wrong." He teased.

"Well they are!" He gestured towards the field. "But hold on one sec, smile!"

"What for?"

"Photo!" Bokuto said, as he snapped a selfie with Akaashi at his side; who then looked like he wanted to complain, but thought better of it.

"I should have known!"

"Come on, this way!" Bokuto called.

Akaashi watched him nearly trip over a pumpkin, "Alright, I'm coming!" He said.

There were so many pumpkins in the park, it took them about 45 minutes to choose. They looked through small ones and big ones, and thin ones, and round ones, until they each found a pumpkin of a pleasing shape. Bokuto chose a taller, cylindrical shaped pumpkin, while Akaashi chose one that he thought fit the description of a classic jack-o-lantern. Satisfied, the pair carried their pumpkins to the cash register booths, and began to make their way back to Akaashi's apartment, their elbows brushing as they walked together.

When they finally made it back to the dorm, Akaashi prepared the necessary tools to carve the pumpkins. He handed Bokuto a sharpie, "So what kind of face are you going to carve into your pumpkin?" He asked.

"Probably the same thing as last year! Kuroo and I usually carve each other's faces to the best... or maybe to the worst, of our abilities! So far I've been thinking for a minimalistic, Mike Wozowski type of look since that homie is always hiding behind his bangs. Do you wanna help me?" Bokuto asked hopefully.

"I think I better not, that seems like a great idea to me," Akaashi smirked.

"Oh I'm glad you think so!" He beamed. "And you're going for a classic jack-o-lantern right? I'd recommend triangle eyes!"

"I see! Thank you, Koutarou-San," he smiled.

"And Keiji, let me know if you want me to scoop out the gross insides for you! It can get kind of nasty!"

"Thank you."

In no time, the pumpkins were finished. It took a few more minutes to clean up the mess caused by a 'pumpkin guts fight', but the pair had so much fun that they didn't mind the extra work.

Bokuto's cell phone rang out in his pocket, it was Oikawa. He answered the call, "Hey Grand King of drinking games, what's up?" He asked.

"Bo-Chan~ you do realize you only have 2 hours left to get ready for the party tonight, right?" Oikawa drawled, "Tetsu-Chan and I were nice enough to get you a wonderful costume, so the least you could do is actually wear it!" He teased.

"Oh... oh shoot! I totally forgot about it actually! Thanks for calling! I'll see you in a few!" Bokuto hung up on him.

"Keiji, did you hear that?"

"I did, I can't believe I forgot about it either..."

"Are you gonna be okay with this much time?" Bokuto asked.

"Yes, I should be just fine, but it sounds like you have a lot of work to do," he raised an eyebrow, "I should probably let you go now," he looked Bokuto up and down with a small smile. There was a pumpkin seed stuck in his two-toned hair.

"Unfortunately, you're right... Keiji..." He took his hands in his own, "Thank you so much for going out with me today! I had a lot of fun, and I hope you did too!"

Akaashi gulped, and nodded in agreement, "I did, I had a lot of fun too... Thank you Koutarou-San."

Bokuto searched Akaashi's face for a moment, but then grinned, "Then I'll see you again later tonight!" His hands slid slowly from Akaashi's fingertips, "Don't worry, I'll let myself out!" He declared.

"Yeah, I got you... Thanks... See you tonight," Akaashi murmured softly.

Bokuto smiled back at him fondly, he nodded, and shut the front door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A chapter nearly a year in the making... better late than never I guess haha!

**Author's Note:**

> I sincerely hope you enjoyed my fic, I'd love to know what you think!


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